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What I didn't know I didn't know about mattresses.

What I didn't know I didn't know about mattresses.
 
 
Had you asked me 10 days ago what makes a good mattress my answer would have been that if it's comfortable it's got to be a good one right? I mean I knew that sleeping, however good or bad, affected how you feel when you're awake. As a reluctant member of the "Can't Sleep" club I figured that the issues keeping me up at night were out of my control. Little did I know 10 days ago just how in control a person can actually be when it comes to setting themselves up for a restful, rejuvenating night's rest. 
 
What I've learned so far while becoming a sleep specialist is that comfort is really important, but that true comfort is the sum of all the ways your mattress should be working for you. Like 80% of Americans, I deal with lower back pain and getting a bad night's sleep only exasperates the level and length of discomfort. I need a bed that gives me added support not only for my back but my knees, hips and shoulders too. I'm a part of the 57% of Americans who struggle with sometimes feeling too hot when falling asleep leading to waking up throughout the night to dance a nightmarish Hokey Pokey, sticking one leg out from under the covers only to wake up again to pull it back in. My ideal bed is going to keep me cool so my sleep stays dance-free allowing me sleep deeper for longer. Finally, according to SleepFoundation.Org over 90% of people believe a comfortable mattress is very important to getting a good night's rest, and I agree, I want my bed to feel good! 
 
But can a mattress provide lumbar and pressure relieving support for the whole body? Can a supportive mattress also keep me cool all night? Can a mattress that does both really be comfortable? What I didn't know 10 days ago is that yes, a mattress can provide you with those benefits. Not only that it can, but that it should. 
 
Since were going to spend 1/3rd of our lives in bed we should make sure that our mattresses are serving a higher purpose than just being a place to lay down. They can and should be helping you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and helping your body and mind achieve the rest it needs to be restorative and rejuvenating. You don't need to take your sleep for granted when something as simple as the right mattress tonight can start helping you tomorrow. Im excited to take what I've learned in the past 10 days and beyond and turn it into helping everyday people take bedtime from something to dread to something to look forward too. 
 
 
 
 
Sleep Rules: Rule Number 1: Align Your Spine with a Perfect Pillow.

So, the quest for a perfect pillow is as daunting as The Holy Grail or the Davinci code. Or is it? I mean it’s just a pillow, right? Well, that overlooked article of bedding consists of 30% of your spine, BRO! I didn’t believe it at first, but it’s the truth. Then I remembered my old wrestling friends telling me that “if you control the head, you control the body.” I use to pass that on by because I couldn’t relate it to anything in my life at the time. I mean, I wasn’t shooting any double leg take downs or suplexing anybody at the time. But now it makes sense. If my head is not in proper alignment, NEITHER is my body! So that explained my years of neck, shoulder, and hip aches. IT WASN’T JUST THE MATTRESS!!!!

So how does one find an ever elusive “Perfect Pillow”? Well, go get fitted. Mattress Direct does this. They actual do this before you even lay down on your potential mattress. First, they take into accounts your sleeping position (side, back, stomach, any which way but loose) and choose the appropriate pillow for such position. Then have you lay down on a bed that is suitable for your request of comfort. No longer do you have to wander a store holding a pillow like an old boom box. That may bring you back to your break dancing days, but it will not bring you to Comfort Town. Comfort Town is when you have that one pillow, one pillow that rules them all. Lord of The Pillows style.

Come on by one of your friendly, neighborhood Mattress Directs and get fitted for that pillow Today. I mean, why wait till tomorrow when you aren’t sleeping any better and are in a foul mood. You don’t like that you, and the world will be better once you start following the Sleep Rules.

Exercise and Sleep

New Year’s Resolution time is in full swing and everyone is trying to get their routine down. You have to make a schedule that works best for you. Some people think that morning workouts are the only way to go and that working out at night actually hurts your sleep, but that is just not true. Working out is best whenever you can do it. If you are a morning person and find it easiest to wake up and go---then do it. If you have to work out after work that’s fine too whatever is best for your schedule that you can make a part of your weekly routine.

There’s always been this myth that you cannot work out four hours before you want to go to sleep, but that isn’t true for all. Very few people are affected by this. Most people can even find it easier to fall asleep after working out. Exercise overall improves sleep and allows people to rest more efficiently.

Typically, if you have trouble falling asleep after exercising it is because of temperature. Your core body temperature tends to rise after a vigorous workout and it also rises due to our natural circadian rhythm around the time you are trying to go to sleep. Lowering the temperature to 68 degrees and making sure you have the proper sleep environment is the key to success.

The proper sleep environment includes a dark quiet room, a mattress that is breathable (preferably in this case with cooling features such as cooling gel and/or breeze technology), cooling pillows, breathable sheets and a breathable mattress protector. Keeping you cool will allow you to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer. When you are cool it also allows you to reach deeper stages of sleep faster as well.

So don’t worry if the only time in your schedule to work out is late at night. You can still get the proper sleep you need for your rest and recovery. Just make sure to stay cool. 

Can one mattress work for everyone?

 

Large warehouse stores are amazing. You need ketchup? Well, there is one bottle of ketchup. You want some cereal? There are several options but only one size…. LARGE. They take the choice out of it. This makes the shopping experience easy. I know I don’t like sitting there debating what size box of flaked corn I need or seeing 12 different types of the same condiment. Choice is sometimes overwhelming.

But choice can also be necessary, especially when we are talking about people’s individual needs, shapes, and specifications. Can there just be one mattress that magically fits all my needs as well as my neighbor’s, best friend’s, and 90-year-old grandfather’s needs? The answer is… if you all have the same body type, sleeping style and habits then YES, but it is rather unlikely.

People are complicated. We all have our own habits. Some people sleep exclusively on their side, others back, and others do a great approximation of a pretzel where their front shoulders are facing towards the bed while their hips are pointing in the opposite direction and their arms are clutching onto their pillow for dear life. All of these sleepers may need different levels of support and pressure relief depending on their individual shape and size as well.

A back is definitely flatter than a pretzel. A pretzel sleeper has curves in their shoulders and hips. Would these two types need the same pressure relief? Could they both be best served by the same mattress? The answer is no. These both could be adequately served by the same mattress, but to get the best out of your nightly sleep both sleepers really need individualized comfort.

Bed in a box companies try for mass appeal, but number one to them is ship ability. The heavier a mattress is the more is costs to ship. Most people are side sleepers, side sleepers need more pressure relief, more pressure relief needs more materials, more materials means more weight which means less profit. Is this the best for your comfort?

Mattresses are not one size fits all.

 

All Mattress Direct factory direct show rooms have mattress specialists trained to fit you for the best mattress for your sleep needs.

Why do we Yawn?

 

Why do we yawn? We are not the only species who yawns monkeys, dogs, cats, and even fish and babies inside the womb yawn but why? It is one of those truly unsolved mysteries, but there are some really interesting theories.

The one that seems to be the most pervasive is that it expands your lungs and brings in a ton of oxygen all at once. That oxygen goes to your brain allowing you to wake up. But is this true? It makes sense but scientists have shown that oxygen levels don’t actually rise when we yawn. So if it isn’t taking oxygen to the brain what is it doing?

It seems that there is a decent connection between yawning and temperature regulation. The hotter you are the more likely you are to yawn if you see someone else yawning. Yawns are contagious. I bet at least half of you have yawned just from seeing the picture above and I’ve yawned twice while writing this. It is that weird suggestible thing when someone even says yawn we all respond in kind, but we are less likely to yawn if you are cold.

As you lay in bed every night sleeping heat builds up throughout the night, which is why many of us immediately wake up and yawn. Your brain functions at its best when it is in a cooler environment. So we wake up and immediately cool down our brains. The circadian rhythm determines the heat of our body throughout the day. Typically the highest points are right before we fall asleep and first thing when we wake up. The average person yawns 8 times a day which seems to be a way to regulate our brains temperature.

Typically when one person yawns multiple people in a room yawn. This is more than likely an evolutionary process where one person sees another and knows that maybe they should regulate their brain too. It could also be because of empathy or mimicry. Sleeping cool could help eliminate the early morning yawns. When you keep your cool and regulate your body temperature you get deeper sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Experiment.  See if you yawn when you wake up after a nice night’s sleep in a cool bed. 

Attack of the Zombie Mattress

 

It’s dark, your body aches and you are covered in sweat. You feel exhausted as if some unrelenting monster has been pursuing you at a steady pace. No time to rest. You never get to rest. You are not in some remote summer camp being chased by Zombies through the woods. The constant exhaustion is caused by a terrible monster. A monster that doesn’t eat brains, instead this monster drains brains of their energy. That monster is……

 

A zombie mattress.

Unfortunately, zombies are undead just enough to torments us. They keep up pursuit and never let you rest. Zombie mattresses manage to cling to just enough life to torment us as well. Maybe we wake up in a sweat. Many modern mattresses are designed to help you sleep better than before. Mattresses by Tempurpedic, Sealy, Stearns & Foster and King Koil have much better cooling solutions than what was available just a few years ago. Don’t lets your dead mattress be a mattress zombie. Replace it and start sleeping better.

If your zombie mattress feels like it’s killing your back or draining your brain after you wake up then be your own hero. You don’t need a baseball bat with nails in it to bash your sleep issues. You can take some time with the sleep specialists at Mattress Direct. Finding the right mattress and getting good rest are incredibly important.

What are signs your mattress is a zombie mattress?

Do you experience sudden urges to toss and turn at night?
Does your shoulder or neck feel sore throughout the day or in the morning?
Does your spouse or sleep partner complain about your mattress?
When you wake up do you already feel sore?
Do you suffer from a lack of energy because of poor sleep?
Are you waking up too hot after adjusting your home thermostat and your number of blankets?

If you answered yes to any of the questions listed above you stand to gain from a new mattress. You should wake up feeling refreshed and your body should feel rested in the morning. Many people struggle with a zombie mattress in silence. Don’t struggle in silence. Visit one of the factory direct Mattress Direct showrooms as soon as you get the chance and get fitted. Then you won’t feel like a zombie when you wake up either.


Beditation

 

 

Does this sound familiar?  You’re lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, but your mind is racing.   You’re exhausted, but can’t turn off your brain.  Instead, you lie awake, remembering the things you didn’t get done that day, the argument you had with a co-worker, that time in 3rd grade you threw up on the field trip to the zoo.   The next thing you know it’s 2:00 AM and you still haven’t fallen asleep.    Sadly, for many Americans, this is all-too relatable.  

Luckily, here at Mattress Direct, we’re always available to provide helpful (and free!) tips to help you get a deeper, more restorative night’s sleep.  Today, to reduce anxiety that can lead to insomnia, we’d like to recommend meditation. 

Several sleep studies show even twenty minutes of focused meditation can lead to falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer.  Meditation can seem a little intimidating to the uninitiated, but at its simplest, it’s really just practicing mindfulness of moment-by-moment thoughts and experiences.  By focusing on breathing, you can keep your mind from drifting to the stresses of the past and future.   Some people focus on the way their lungs fill and empty, others on the sounds their breathing makes, and still others focus on the flow of air in and out of the nose.  Experiencing each breath for what it is, allows you to focus on the present, which is the essence of mindful meditation.   Becoming distracted, and letting thoughts creep into your mind as you meditate is normal.  Instead of trying to push them away, recognize what is happening, and then shift your focus back to the rhythms of your breathing.   Don’t worry if It’s hard at first, most things are! 

The longer you stick with it, the easier it will be.

Focused meditation will allow your body to become accustomed to relaxation, which you can then use to push away “inner chatter” at bedtime.  Falling asleep faster, and staying asleep longer will mean more deep, restorative REM sleep, which means more energy and alertness during the day.  There are plenty of other resources online for best meditation practices for beginners.  Find some that work for you!  Good luck, and good night.  

Exercise your way to Healthier Sleep

sleep exercise

 

One of the most frequently asked questions we hear as Sleep Specialists is “What are some easy things I can do to get a better night’s sleep?”  While there are many things that influence how much deep, restorative sleep a person gets, one is probably overlooked but still incredibly important: physical activity. 

 A recent study in the Journal of Mental Health and Physical Activity among 2,600 men and women between the ages of 18-85 found that people who engaged in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week improved sleep quality by 65%.  Additionally, the study found a 68% decrease in leg cramping and a 45% decrease in difficult concentrating compared to those that did not exercise. 

Many other studies show similar findings.  For example, a study at Northwest University found that exercise and sleep were mutually beneficial to one another.   Good sleep led to longer, more intense workout sessions, which led to better sleep and strengthened circadian rhythms, creating a cycle of improved health and well- being.   Experts suggest thinking about the relationship between exercise and sleep in the same way as exercise and weight loss – that it is a gradual process, not an overnight fix. 

 

Regarding when to exercise: there have been some surprising developments in research on that topic!   Conventional wisdom told people not to work out too close to bedtime, which could lead to restlessness.  But a 2013 sleep poll found that people who exercised at any time of the day slept better than those who didn’t, even if it that activity took place at nighttime.

 For many busy adults, burdened with work and family responsibilities, right before bed may actually be the easiest time to work up a sweat, so don’t let an outdated idea keep you from getting in the workout your body craves for optimal sleep. 

The idea that exercise is healthy isn’t news to anyone.  We all know mood, metabolism, blood pressure, and risk for heart disease, obesity and diabetes can be influenced by how active you are.  But as sleep scientists explore the link between sleep and physical activity more and more, it seems clear that if you’re tossing and turning, and having trouble feeling alert during the day, reaching for your running shoes may be a better choice than reaching for those sleeping pills.

Cool Comfort

Rule No. 3

Keep your Cool

with Cool technology.

There are new advances in cool technology that finally provide a solution for hot sleepers.

 


 The coolest mattresses use advanced materials like Tempur-pedic Breeze and Sealy Chill. Gel has some limited cooling properties by itself but phase change materials are more advanced and provide more of a cooling effect that will drop your body temperature so you get to sleep quickly.

You have probably already heard of cool mattresses but how do you find the coolest?  

 


Sealy Chill and Tempur Breeze

Advanced phase change material found in Tempur-pedic Breezemattresses have proven successful in addressing the needs of hot sleepers. Tempur-Sealy is taking the innovation and applying it to more Sealy mattresses with Sealy Chill.

 

Phase change material like Sealy Chill and Tempur Breeze are designed to absorb heat and cool your body. When your body rests on a mattress with this new innovative cooling technology your excess heat is absorbed quickly so you can fall asleep faster.

 

Avoid spikes in temperature.

 

Have you ever pulled your blankets back up in the middle of the night? 

                Phase change material like Tempur Breeze and Sealy Chill help drop your temperature quickly and absorb excess heat to return to you when your body is resting in deep sleep. Your mattress should always keep you comfortable all night long so you get to stay in deeper sleep without interruption.

 

Mattress Direct is a factory direct showroom for Tempur-pedic, Sealy, Stearns and Foster, iDirect, King Koil, and Campbell Mattress of Missouri. We proudly carry mattresses made in USA such as the Sealy Posturepedic, King Koil, Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid, Sealy Conform, Tempurpedic Cloud, Tempurpedic Conform and Tempurpedic Flex, Stearns & Foster Estate, Stearns & Foster Lux Estate, Stearns & Foster Reserve and Stearns & Foster Hybrid. We are locally owned and operated serving the greater St. Louis area and growing. Please visit our factory direct mattress showrooms so you get the lowest price and the very best mattress for your particular needs.

Can't Sleep? Drug free alternatives that really help
Insomnia is a widespread sleep problem among adults. Nearly 40% of men and women in the U.S. experience some symptoms of insomnia in a given year, and as many as 15% of adults struggle with chronic insomnia. Relaxation techniques are considered a standard form treatment for insomnia by sleep professionals, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. These techniques include:
  • Muscle relaxation exercises
  • Deep breathing exercises
  • Imagery and visualization
These effective therapeutic practices are inexpensive, drug free, easy to learn and integrate into a daily routine, and can be very effective in improving sleep. Non-pharmaceutical sleep remedies are attractive to many people who don’t want to use medication to treat their insomnia and other sleep problems. This often leads people to seek other options in an area known as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). CAM is defined by the National Institutes of Health as "a group of health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine." The NIH estimates that as many as 38% of adults in the United States use some form of CAM, most often in conjunction with conventional medicine, rather than in place of it. Despite its popularity, we don’t know a great deal about how people use relaxation techniques and CAM, including what health problems they're being employed to treat. Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine sought to remedy this by conducting this study to assess how people with insomnia use relaxation techniques and CAM to treat their sleep disorder. They found that while many adults with insomnia are using these therapies, only a small percentage of them are using them specifically to treat insomnia. Researchers used data from the National Health Interview Survey, a large-scale, in-person survey on a wide range of health issues conducted by the Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control. The final study group included 23,358 adults. Researchers in the current study investigated the prevalence of relaxation techniques, including deep breathing, muscle relaxation, biofeedback and guided imagery. They also examined the use of CAM, which they separated into four broad categories:
  • Alternative and mind-body medicine: including meditation, yoga, Tai chi
  • Manipulative practices: including massage, chiropractic and osteopathic treatments
  • Other CAM practices: including acupuncture, Ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy
  • Natural products: including non-vitamin and non-mineral supplements, particularly those used for insomnia treatment, such as melatonin and valerian
Researchers collected information about reasons for using relaxation and CAM, and whether people used these therapies specifically for insomnia. Finally, they asked whether people who used these treatments had informed their physicians about their use. They found that use of both relaxation and CAM techniques are common among people with insomnia—more common than in people without insomnia. However, the vast majority of people with insomnia who use these therapies are not using them specifically to treat their insomnia. Here are some of the details:
  • 18% of those included in the study had regular insomnia or difficulty sleeping in the past year. More women than men suffered from insomnia, as did older people, and those with lower education and income levels.
  • Of those people with insomnia, 22.9% used some type of relaxation therapy in the past year, compared to 11.2% of people without insomnia. Deep breathing exercises were the most common type of relaxation therapy used.
  • Fewer than one-fifth—only 19.1%--of people discussed their use of relaxation therapy with their primary physician.
  • 29.9% of those with insomnia reported using relaxation exercises for specific medical issues, but only a very small number—30 individuals in total—reported using relaxation techniques to treat their insomnia. This was too small a figure for researchers to calculate a population-based estimate.
  • When it came to CAM, 45% of adults with insomnia used some form of complementary or alternative medicine in the past year, compared to 30.9% of those without insomnia.
  • Natural products were the most commonly used of the four categories, followed by manipulative practices. However, researchers found that use of natural products specifically for insomnia was very low.
  • 54% of adults with insomnia used some form of CAM for specific health problems, but only 1.8% reported using CAM to treat insomnia.
  • In the case of both relaxation techniques and CAM, women were more likely than men to use these therapies, as were people with higher levels of education and income, and people who reported higher levels of physical activity.
There seems to be a real missed opportunity here, to improve insomnia by applying therapeutic techniques that people with this sleep disorder are already using. These broad categories of relaxation and CAM cover a wide range of treatment options. Not all of these techniques will be right for everyone. And further research is needed to fully evaluate the effectiveness of specific therapies. But there exist a number of relaxation and CAM therapies, including meditation and visualization, yoga and acupuncture, that have shown promising results in helping alleviate insomnia and other sleep problems. Talking with your doctor is an important step in making the most of relaxation techniques and complementary or alternative therapies to improve insomnia.  It’s disappointing to see that most people who are using these remedies are not discussing them with their physicians, according to this current research. Increasingly, conventional medical practitioners are open to, informed about and encouraging of techniques such as these. Don’t go it alone. Your “regular” doctor can be a valuable resource in making choices about “alternative” therapies for insomnia and other sleep problems. Sweet Dreams, Michael J. Breus, PhD The Sleep Doctor™ www.thesleepdoctor.com The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan:  Lose Weight Through Better Sleep Everything you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep™ twitter: @thesleepdoctor Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesleepdoctor